Chapter 11011 Come here, how long do you want to eavesdrop? ...
Princess Shoukang was the late emperor's elder sister from the same mother and was greatly favored by the emperor. She had a beloved daughter, Princess Danling, who was married to her cousin, Crown Prince Zhangren.
Unfortunately, the second son of the late emperor, the second prince, had been in love with Princess Danling for a long time and had been secretly planning for many years. In the 18th year of Chengwu, he launched a palace coup. Prince Zhangren died while trying to save the emperor, and the late emperor was also imprisoned and poisoned to death by the second prince.
At the critical moment, Prince Yongning, who was recalled to Chang'an by the late emperor to take up his post, led his troops to capture the second prince. Before the late emperor died, he left an oral instruction, entrusting the throne and the country to Prince Yongning.
Prince Yongning ascended the throne with tears in his eyes and proclaimed himself emperor, with the reign title of Yonghui.
Emperor Yonghui respected his elder sister, the eldest princess, very much, and after he ascended the throne, he bestowed on her the title of Shoukang.
During the palace coup, a fire burned down the Eastern Palace, and Princess Danling, the Crown Princess, and her legitimate son died with Crown Prince Zhangren.
Princess Shoukang has been bearing the grief of losing her daughter and has been living in seclusion for many years. She hasn't held such a large banquet for a long time.
Ordinary people like Yun Sheng don’t care who will be the emperor. They are all royal relatives. They care more about which emperor will come to the throne to reduce taxes and let them live a good life.
It was only after the Yonghui Emperor's enthronement ceremony that Yun Sheng's family learned a little about it from a notice for going to the market in the city. At that time, the mother-in-law cried out that it was a sin, fearing that this matter would delay her husband's imperial examination.
Yun Sheng had never thought in her life that she would be able to meet such an important person. She followed behind the Second Madam and the others, keeping her head down and not daring to look around.
He only glanced at the grass, trees, mountains and rivers in the Princess's Mansion. Every furnishing was more precious than those in the Marquis' Mansion.
On the birthday of his royal sister, Emperor Yonghui sent the eunuchs in the palace to bestow many silks and satins as a token of his favor. Yun Sheng looked at the sea of heads in front of him and knelt down to kowtow with the crowd.
She raised her eyes quietly and saw Princess Shoukang in front, dressed in gorgeous purple clothes. The young man supporting her should be her most beloved eldest grandson, the Duke of Pingyang.
After seeing off the people from the palace, everyone celebrated Princess Shoukang's birthday. The banquet was divided into two tables for men and women, the women's table was in the backyard and the men's table was in the front yard.
Seeing that Yun Sheng was restrained, the Second Madam asked the maid to keep an eye on him from time to time. After all, he was brought out from the Marquis' Mansion, so she wanted to avoid bringing shame to the Marquis' Mansion.
Yun Sheng was grateful for her kindness.
The noble ladies were just having fun, playing pitch pots and composing poems. She was ultimately out of place. The two ladies in the mansion were not familiar with her and naturally didn't care about her.
Yun Sheng walked away, hoping to find a quiet place to relax.
She missed her hometown of Jiankang. Although life in the countryside was poor, the three of them lived comfortably. However, she knew she was dreaming. After finally settling in the prosperous Chang'an, her mother-in-law and husband would never go back.
Yun Sheng touched his arms and sighed softly.
_
The ladies in the backyard were having a great time, and the gentlemen in the front were also having fun.
Everyone was so drunk that their faces flushed and their necks thickened. They hugged the Duke of Pingyang and joked, "Duke, let's be frank. We all think the princess is celebrating her birthday, but in reality, she wants to find a marriage for you. There are so many noble ladies here today, and I wonder which one will catch your eye?"
The Duke of Pingyang was too thin-skinned, and his earlobes turned red enough to bleed when he heard people teasing him about his marriage.
He avoided the important point and waved his hand hurriedly, saying, "Today is my grandmother's birthday. I hope you all will eat and drink well. If I have been rude, please forgive me."
Everyone laughed and wanted to drag him to the archery field.
The Duke of Pingyang was clearly overwhelmed, and a maid from the Princess's mansion came over to greet him, saying, "Duke, the Princess wants you to go to the backyard to talk. The girls have written some poems, and please come and appreciate them."
The gentlemen smiled knowingly and finally agreed to let the person go.
She said she was going to appreciate poetry, but who didn't know the princess's intention? It was obvious that she wanted him to go and have a look.
Amidst the joking of the crowd, the Duke of Pingyang said goodbye with a red face.
As the protagonist left, the gentlemen completely stopped worrying. Xie Minghao said, "It's still early. Why don't you guys go down and have a martial arts competition? It will also help to kill time."
After he finished speaking, he first glanced at the uneasy Xie Qingyuan, then glanced at a young man beside him. The young man understood what he meant and hurried forward to hook his arm around Xie Qingyuan's shoulder, saying with a smile: "Brother Yuan, you've just arrived in Chang'an. Why don't you play with your brothers?"
Xie Qingyuan's face flushed red as he waved his hands, "My shooting skills are not very good, and I am afraid of disturbing your enjoyment, so I dare not show off my skills in front of you."
Someone sneered, "It's just a way to kill time. Brother Yuan, don't take it too seriously. You insist on doing this. Do you look down on us brothers?"
"Yes, Brother Yuan, feel free to give it a try, but don't refuse your kindness."
For a moment, Xie Qingyuan was roasted on the fire by everyone. He had never even touched a bow and arrow, let alone hit the target?
Xie Zhan stood condescendingly on the second floor of the pavilion. The attendant asked in a low voice, "My Lord, would you like me to go down and take a look?"
"No need." Xie Zhan raised his hand.
He narrowed his narrow eyes and stared at Xie Qingyuan's embarrassment on the court.
Why does Yun Sheng like this useless white-faced boy?
It can be seen that she is blind and has extremely poor vision.
Xie Qingyuan had been mentally prepared to miss the target and be laughed at by everyone. He thought that as long as he was thick-skinned, he could get over it with a joke. But who knew if that young man was deliberately making things difficult for him, the bow in front of him was so heavy that Xie Qingyuan couldn't hold it even after trying twice.
He was sweating profusely, feeling anxious and embarrassed, and it was obvious that he had put in a lot of effort.
The young man scoffed, "It seems Brother Yuan's skills are indeed not very good. If that's the case, I won't force it any further."
After saying that, he easily pulled up the bow and arrow and shot straight at the bull's eye of the haystack.
Xie Qingyuan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, feeling furious. Sooner or later, he would trample all these people under his feet.
Before anyone could offer their compliments, another arrow flew through the air and pierced the bull's eye. The original arrowhead fell to the ground with a snap.
He was stunned for a moment, then looked up.
Xie Zhan cupped his hands and said, "My hands are itching for a moment, please forgive me."
Immediately, his gaze fell indifferently on the young man who had just shot the target, and he said calmly, "Prince Anguo, please continue. I hope I didn't disturb your pleasure."
The Prince of Anguo was embarrassed and waved his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, you are joking. Everyone knows that your riding and archery skills are superb. I am the one who is showing off my skills in front of you."
The Duke's Mansion is now just an empty shell, with only the honorific title of Duke but no real power. Even his father has to keep his tail between his legs in front of the Marquis Dingbei who holds a large number of troops, let alone him, who dares not be presumptuous.
He had heard from his father that even the current emperor had to negotiate with Marquis Xie for military power, and he absolutely could not afford to offend such a demon.
Xie Minghao's face turned pale. He never understood why his father and cousin always protected that poor country boy. He didn't dare to complain to Xie Zhan. He just turned around and glared at Xie Qingyuan with hatred.
Xie Qingyuan calmed himself down and thanked his cousin respectfully from afar.
Xie Zhan looked calm and looked away indifferently.
_
The Princess's Mansion was full of pavilions and towers. Yun Sheng didn't dare to go far, for fear of getting lost and unable to find his way back, and being looked down upon by the Second Madam.
She lowered her eyes, kicked the pebbles on the bluestone road with her toes, and sighed softly.
She really couldn't get used to the life in Chang'an, not to mention living in the Marquis' Mansion now, with the knife of Marquis Xie always hanging over her head. These days, she had a lot of thoughts and her heart was still shrouded in fog.
Yun Sheng was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the person in front of her. Before the maidservant next to the Duke of Pingyang could even yell at her, she had already thrown herself into her arms.
"Madam, are you okay?"
The Duke of Pingyang helped Yun Sheng up, then politely let him go and asked kindly.
Yun Sheng raised her eyes and took two steps back, only to see the handsome man with a pale face. She panicked and said, "I'm fine. It's my fault for not watching where I was going and bumping into the Duke of Pingyang."
"It's okay. I saw you were in such a hurry, where were you going? Could it be that your hospitality wasn't good enough, and you were wronged?"
The Duke of Pingyang blushed a little. The young lady in front of him was really pretty.
Yun Sheng shook his head and whispered, "The Duke misunderstood. I was just bored and wanted to go for a walk."
"Madam, would you like someone to lead the way?" The Duke of Pingyang couldn't help but want to say a few more words.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord. I won't bother you any more."
Yun Sheng bowed and walked away, but the Duke of Pingyang was still staring at her departing back, with her slightly swaying skirt all in his mind.
The sun was blazing, and Yun Sheng wanted to sit in the pavilion beside the lotus pond. But just as she turned the corner, she bumped into two figures and quickly retracted her embroidered shoes.
The man was dressed in a gorgeous robe, with a tall and straight back. The girl standing opposite him was bright and pretty, frowning and pouting in dissatisfaction as she argued with him.
Yun Sheng recognized this beautiful face. Just now at the banquet, everyone called her Princess Anle, the daughter of the current Emperor Yonghui and Concubine Shu.
She only asked, "Marquis Xie has not yet taken a wife or concubines. Why is he unwilling to marry me into your Xie family? Or does Marquis Xie have someone else he loves?"
Xie Zhan's face was calm as he said calmly, "The princess is a beautiful young woman, and I dare not marry her, let alone deserve her kindness."
Princess Anle snorted and said, "I don't mind your age. I'll marry you if I say so. Marquis Xie has been refusing time and again. Could it be that I'm not worthy of your attention?"
When she was ten years old, she came to Chang'an with her father. She got lost on the day she entered the palace, and it was Xie Zhan who showed her the way. The young man in his early twenties had a handsome face and did not have the sharpness he has now. Princess Anle liked him at first sight.
Unfortunately, she was too young at the time, and Xie Zhan, her uncle the Emperor, and even her father all regarded her as childish talk. However, many years passed, and Xie Zhan followed his father to guard Beiting. Princess Anle never saw him again, but the love she felt for him did not diminish but grew.
She was overjoyed that her father had allowed him to stay in Chang'an. Taking advantage of her aunt's birthday today, she begged the Empress and her stepmother for a long time before finally agreeing to let her leave the palace. She had planned to meet Xie Zhan.
Princess Anle really didn't expect that Xie Zhan would refuse to be her son-in-law.
Xie Zhan remained composed, and said, "Princess, you are precious. I am truly not a good match for you."
Princess Anle didn't believe a word of it. She had waited for him for so many years and would never give up easily.
She raised her chin and said, "Since Lord Xie is unwilling, this princess will have no choice but to ask my father to make the decision."
Xie Zhan's eyebrows were sparse. He looked at An Le's back as she left with her sleeves swung, and said respectfully, "I respectfully send the princess off."
Yun Sheng, who was hiding in the corner, felt his heart beating faster. The mood that had been suppressed for many days seemed to be clearing up. If Xie Zhan really married the princess, he would be able to escape the disaster.
I heard that the princess's husband has few concubines or maids in his room.
No matter how powerful Xie Zhan was, he couldn't rival the royal family, nor could he trample on the princess's face. Besides, the princess was beautiful and noble, and Yun Sheng knew her limitations. Xie Zhan probably got tired of seeing the noble ladies of Chang'an and wanted to try her simple porridge and vegetables.
Now that she has such a beautiful woman in front of her and is deeply in love with him, Yun Sheng just hopes that Xie Zhan will forget about her.
"Come here. How long do you want to eavesdrop?"
The smile on her face froze instantly.
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